What are the benefits of training in a niche firm?

This article has been produced in collaboration with Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP.

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Aspiring lawyers have many decisions to make over the course of their journey into the profession, including where to train and the types of firm to apply to. Discover the benefits to training in a niche firm like Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP in this LCN Says.

At Bolt Burdon Kemp, we specialise in representing the most seriously injured people in personal injury and clinical negligence claims for compensation. We’re a leading specialist law firm in the City of London that puts our clients at the centre of everything we do. We’ve focused on this area of law for the past 35 years because this is what we’re excellent at; our mission is to change peoples’ lives and the law for the better.

We’ve built up our expertise and reputation, and the next generation of lawyers will aspire to do the same. When it comes to future lawyers visualising what their legal careers will look like, they often imagine training at a large national law firm, with a broad range of practice areas. There appears to be a misconception that choosing to train in a ‘niche’ personal injury and clinical negligence practice will offer limited experience. However, in reality, specialising in a firm like ours provides valuable opportunities and gives all our juniors a broad set of legal skills and experience.

By working in a personal injury and clinical negligence firm, paralegals, trainees, and juniors are exposed to a wide range of cases and legal issues. At Bolt Burdon Kemp, we have specialist legal teams dealing with military, abuse, spinal injury, brain injury, personal injury, medical negligence, and bullying and harassment claims. Each group has a team of lawyers that specialise in those case types and have, over the years, built a reputation as ‘leaders’ in the field. We focus on specific practice areas because each ‘specialism’ will have its own intrinsic liability and quantum issues that require specialist knowledge and expertise that can’t be gained by running a ‘general’ personal injury and clinical negligence caseload. We act for vulnerable clients and thrive on excellent client care, and sub-specialising means that all our lawyers can really understand the specific needs of the firm’s clients. 

All our juniors meet the Practice Skills Standard set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and gain valuable experience very early on in their training. This includes having direct contact with clients and the wider legal team (eg, medical professionals and experts, and counsel) in the related field. It’s a brilliant opportunity to build a network of contacts and nurture those relationships early on in their legal career.

By exposing our trainees to various specialist groups, the range of cases ensures that they’re exposed to an array of legal scenarios, allowing them to handle complex legal issues and points of law while developing excellent client care and advocacy skills across the spectrum. All our cases are contentious, which means if we can’t negotiate a settlement, a case is prepared for trial to be heard before a judge/master at court. Our juniors will often shadow counsel or a solicitor to gain valuable experience as well as having the opportunity to practice in-house in a moot or mock court hearing before a barrister or retired judge. As a result, training or working as a junior in a niche law firm equips aspiring lawyers with a broad spectrum of experience.  

Our juniors are often ahead of the curve in comparison to peers at their level of post-qualified experience at other firms, simply because our trainees obtain hands-on experience and get the opportunity to master their skillset by completing their own tasks, working collaboratively in a team and observing experienced practitioners as soon as they join us a paralegal. However, we don’t just take the time to develop legal skills; we nurture the softer ones too. Skills such as presenting, networking, and recognising imposter syndrome are all developed early on to foster confidence. We have a professional ‘family feel’ to our firm, which means that our trainees and juniors develop their skills in a very supportive environment. This is really important and can often be lost in a larger, more corporate practice.

The invaluable skills that are gained in a niche practice are widely applicable in any legal environment, making training at a firm like Bolt Burdon Kemp an excellent foundation for a successful and long legal career in our firm. Our juniors are our future stars.

Rhicha Kapila is a partner and chief operating officer at Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP.